Unexpected
by Imbrii
Summary: Things don't always turn out how you expect them to, sometimes for the better. An alternately serious and silly tale of how Gaara and Lee end up together, and how their peers react. [GaaraxLee, various]
1. First Kiss

**Notes:** This fic eventually has Gaara x Lee. (No, there's no significance to that order.) However, this chapter has one-time, _brief_ Sakura + Gaara. If you're violently opposed to that you can skip this chapter, but you'll miss the build-up, and it will be briefly referenced later. This was originally a one-shot, so it may seem a bit different from later chapters.

**Spoilers: **Through Timeskip.

**Comments are appreciated, concrit especially. **

* * *

Sakura had a secret. 

As a shinobi she held many, but this was personal, one she'd never tell Ino or her mother or Tsunade and certainly not Naruto or Sasuke.

Sakura's first kiss wasn't anyone in Konoha—not Sasuke, Naruto, or even Lee.

Sakura's first kiss was with Gaara.

Tsunade was called to Sunagakure for something important, too high-level for Sakura to know but involved enough she needed to come along if she wanted to continue training. (Sakura was convinced it was actually to help carry Tsunade's luggage; the Hokage packed enough to last a month after the world ended.) Either way, she found herself in the Hidden Village of Sand with a fair amount of free time and nobody to talk to.

Temari was a little intense and though she made the time, Sakura always got the impression she'd rather be elsewhere. Kankurou seemed to only care about her because she was a pretty girl but was sent off on a mission two days after she arrived. The climate was harsh and the locals less than friendly. It left her with hours of training and reading by herself, making for restless nights.

The days were scorching and the nights frigid, but the clear skies drew her to the rooftop. Looking at those stars, she could think of Sasuke and Naruto under the same sky, training and hopefully well. Hopefully thinking about her. It left her feeling a little hollow but she did her best to replace it all with determination. She didn't want to be weak any more; she didn't want to be protected all the time, as futile as that hope may be.

The third night, Gaara appeared. Part of her still feared him, memories of Lee's horrible injuries haunted her. But he'd also saved Lee's life, leaving her with only mixed feelings. He said nothing, staring into the distance with eyes that looked almost solid white in the low light. It figured that an insomniac would notice her late night habit. It felt like he was waiting for something, but nothing happened and she went to bed as usual.

Two more days of this made her near paranoid. Being near him made her feel exposed, pinned to the roof like her worth was being examined and found lacking. He hadn't even looked at her. She trained harder but was still unable to sleep without those midnight vigils.

On the sixth day he was waiting for her, distant eyes tracing every movement as she leaped onto the roof. She stubbornly turned to the stars but he kept staring until every nerve in her body was twitching from his scrutiny. Inner Sakura fumed and she indulged in mental name-calling until the anger wore itself out. These days it seemed like her angry inner self wasn't talking as much.

When he spoke, Sakura was ashamed to admit she started.

"They say you love Sasuke," was the brief declaration. It lacked emotion and she couldn't judge his intent from his stoic features. She felt foolish when she blushed at the mere mention of a name.

Before she could reply, he spoke again. "They say Naruto and Lee love you."

This time he waited, but she couldn't get herself to respond right away. Her skin crawled from his constant gaze but she stuck to the stars until it felt right.

"It's true," she whispered, somehow serene and embarrassed all at once.

Sabaku no Gaara looked away and she couldn't help the small sigh of relief. It was short-lived.

"Tell me what love is," he ordered, pale green eyes boring into her. There was a rawness to them, a silent cry for an answer that she couldn't refuse.

"I…I don't know how to say it, I'm really not the best person to ask but…I'll try." Her mind raced through idle schoolgirl talk, dictionaries, and the warm feeling she got whenever Sasuke was mentioned. Lee's speeches, Naruto's fumbling, the small affectionate gestures her parents made when they thought she wasn't looking. How could she sum that all up with something as clumsy as words? Still, she felt obligated to try.

"Love is devotion, and affection, and sometimes lust. It's living or dying for their sake, putting what they want before your own wishes. It's wanting all of a person, wishing they'd think about only you but being happy with nothing, or almost nothing."

Silence, then a reply. "I understand need, hunger, want, and lust. I understand hate, envy, and malice. I don't understand love, but I know it's needed. It must be given." His words were devoid of emotion but Sakura felt something welling up in her chest.

What must it be like, to not know love? How awful would growing up without kind words and support be? What monstrosities were done to create the bloodthirsty Gaara of the Chuunin exam? How was it possible to live without something so basic?

In that instant her heart broke for him, she shed tears for kindness lost, and found herself in love with him in a way that defied any reason. In this tiny grain of time, Sakura loved him whole-heartedly and somehow devoid of pity.

"I can't really tell you what love is…but I can try to show you." Her fear fell away and she walked up to him. Her hand reached out and he looked at it as if he couldn't understand the gesture, but allowed it to happen. With every ounce of gentleness she knew, she tried to channel every goodnight kiss, every morning greeting from her parents into her hand as she placed it on his cheek. The sand barrier didn't react as she leaned in and gave him the lightest of pecks on the cheek. It tasted like sand. It wasn't enough.

Sakura wasn't Ino, she didn't use bunshin to practice kissing techniques (though she _did_ watch on occasion,) but the moment and the swelling heart in her chest demanded she try.

Sasuke's tiny smiles, Naruto's failed attempts to impress her, Lee's long-winded speeches on her virtue were packed into her lips. She tried to talk of devotion and sacrifice, romance and courtship as her lips trailed across his smooth face. Inner Sakura was angry that she didn't warrant the sand armor, regardless of the situation.

His lips opened and she spoke in tongues of passion and lust, pouring herself in despite the lack of response. Even if it was brief and pointless in the long run, she wanted to let him know love, she wanted to love him while it lasted. In the back of her mind she knew there was selfishness in this, to kiss somebody while the one she loved was so far away. It was long and needy and as the moment faded, Sakura pushed away and tried a shy smile.

Gaara appeared unmoved, and the kunoichi turned away as her mouth filled with bitterness. Even something this simple, this important, she'd failed.

"Thank you."

Turquoise eyes wide, Sakura whirled, disbelieving that the curt young man had said it, the slight softness of his voice alien to her. He turned to leave, and she felt like she'd been given something precious.

"Gaara," she called, wanting to say one last thing. Though he didn't turn back around, the Kazekage did stop. That strange rush of emotion had ebbed out and she felt at a loss, but something lingered in the air and demanded voice.

"Although I don't…Maybe you…" This wouldn't do, it wasn't right. Determination, feeling, instinct would give her the needed words. "Your brother and sister already love you. Your people are learning to love you. And out there is your most important person who can show you love in all the ways I can't, somebody who can accept who you are, were, and will be. It may take time, but one day it'll happen. I'm sure of it."

Her smile was full of her own heartache, but she meant every word. Gaara may've been a monster once, but that made him no less deserving of love. He'd become Kazekage after all that, surely love would come one day, too.

His face revealed nothing, he bowed and looked at her with eyes that seemed a little less lonely. Perhaps it was only wishful thinking. "I won't forget this." Then the Sand nin was gone, and Sakura desperately hoped she'd gotten through to whatever humanity Gaara had.

Three weeks later, Gaara gave a bewildered Rock Lee a bouquet of wildflowers. Sakura couldn't remember the last time she'd smiled so hard.


	2. Matchmaker

**Notes:** Set after Gaara interacts with Sakura but before he approaches Lee. Gaara gets "The Talk" has been done before by other authors so it's only touched upon briefly. I hope the line breaks aren't too bothersome.

* * *

"Tell me about dating." 

Temari, who'd just done a very unfeminine spit take, stared at Gaara as if he'd suddenly announced Shukaku was really quite sweet once you got to know him. This was not a conversation she wanted to have. This was not a conversation she'd thought she'd _ever_ have to have. Like the rest of the village she'd taken him for completely indifferent to sex and figured something so frivolous as courtship was below his notice. Sure, there were brainless kunoichi cooing over him, but to think their talk had _sunk in_? This was bad in every color of the rainbow. _Why_ couldn't he have asked Kankurou?

She pasted on her biggest smile and asked through her teeth, "Gaara, wha-what brought this on all of a sudden?" _Whoever it put this idea in his head is going to get it._

"One of the village council members asked me if I ever intend to sire offspring. His daughter has been staring at me lately."

"R-really now?" _If I have to give Gaara "the talk," I'll lobotomize that geezer with my fan. _"What did you say?"

"Children are small, noisy, and weak. I have no desire to make any."

_Whew. The thought of Gaara as a father is downright creepy._

"But Naruto seems to think that such things are very important, so perhaps dating would be a good idea, but I lack information."

_I'll kill the old man, then I'll castrate Naruto._ "I'll…have to get back to you on this. It's a very complicated subject."

Gaara nodded, finished his meal, and left a stupefied Temari in his wake.

* * *

After the fact, Temari had to admit she was pleased Gaara has progressed enough to be interested in dating. Compared to all the years of murder, this was almost surreal, and she had to grudgingly acknowledge it was a pleasant change. Bizzare, but…pleasant. It was a good thing that Gaara wanted to know about dating, and surely if she told herself that enough times she'd start to believe it. 

Who had the lack of self-preservation and foolishness to even _think _of dating Gaara? Whoever it was had to be powerful enough to be worthy of her brother's attention and still be in their age group. Was there anyone who wasn't terrified of him and forgiving enough to see past all the senseless killing, who could accept that one day Shukaku might escape and they'd have to kill Gaara? Nobody in Suna, that's for sure. The current fangirl population didn't count, because they were all empty-headed twits that Temari could kill in her sleep. None of those girls remembered what Gaara was capable of, and would probably faint at the mere mention of the One-Tail. There was nobody _respectable _that she could accept dating her baby brother. But in Konoha…

Time to get Kankurou in on this; he understood Gaara better, anyway.

* * *

Kankurou knew _exactly _who would be crazy enough to consider dating Gaara, provided everyone involved swung that way. Two somebodies that were reckless, fearless, brash, lacking common sense, and powerful enough to make an impact on Gaara: Naruto and Rock Lee. This wasn't without problems, though. 

Everybody who'd ever been to Leaf when Lee was there knew he was trying (and failing miserably) to date Sakura. He was quite good at making his voice carry during those long speeches about Youth and Passion and Spring. (Kankurou suspected the pink-haired kunoichi's stealth was greatly improving as a result.) Nobody wanted to date him because he was just too _weird_, and nobody else seemed to have the heart to tell Lee that.

Everyone knew Naruto had a crush on Sakura, and Kankurou had eyes, which meant he knew the Hyuuga girl held a candle for him, and he gave some very mixed signals when it came to the Uchiha brat. Hell, Sakura was giving some mixed signals herself. Not to mention Naruto's emotional maturity was somewhat lacking, and he was off training with one of the Sannin. They might have inner monsters in common, but hooking him up with his brother would prove troublesome.

Hooking somebody up with _Gaara_. Kankurou decided he could use some sake, age restrictions be damned. He was old enough to kill people, he was old enough to drink.

Then he remembered that eliminating Naruto meant the crazy eyebrow boy was the only acceptable candidate left, and Kankurou figured he'd need enough sake to make Tsunade jealous if he continued to think about _that_ one.

Gaara _had_ requested to be the one to save Lee. (Well, more like he said, "I'll save the green one," and took off but that was different enough to be noteworthy.) His mission report mentioned that the shield of sand had protected Lee, which was certainly unusual, but failed to indicate if that was his or the Sand's will. Maybe there was something to work with.

Time to talk to Temari again. _After _drinking it off his mind.

* * *

"You're kidding me." 

"Think about it, Temari. He's the only one that fits all the criteria, and we have a hell of a lot less competition with him than Naruto."

"But he's so…so…" her face contorted in an effort to encompass Lee's eccentric nature.

"I know what you mean, but you've got to admit he'd try hard to make things work and not do some of the dumb shit Naruto inevitably would." Kankurou had a hard time believing he was actually _defending_ this.

His sister gave a frustrated growl "Alright, you have a point, but how are we going to explain sex and dating to Gaara in a way he'll understand? _I'm _sure as hell not doing it."

"Leave that to Baki-sensei," Kankurou said with a nasty smile.

Temari's answering grin was equally cruel.

* * *

When they informed their old jounin sensei that it was time Gaara received a talk on romantic love and what came with it, he blanched but otherwise managed to keep his features schooled into something neutral. 

"I suppose you're right. He never went to the special seminars and if he's…making inquiries, he should know. I'll…" Baki couldn't hold back a flinch, "talk to Kazekage-sama about it."

After he left, Kankurou and Temari discussed good hiding places near the Kazekage's office between snickers.

* * *

As the closest thing Gaara had to a father figure, Baki felt obligated to be the one to breech such a…_sensitive _topic with the Kazekage, even if it made him uncomfortable. He'd killed dozens of people in cold blood, been to war, infiltrated enemy ranks…all of that seemed so much more straightforward than having to explain the ins and outs of relationships to somebody as emotionally stunted as Gaara. (Really, it'd been a miracle the boy had gotten it together enough to convince others he could lead the village.) 

Such thoughts were unkind—his Kazekage had expressed interest, and he had a duty to explain everything as best he could, without bias. That didn't mean he was any less disgruntled about Gaara's siblings dumping this on him, though—payback was due, in good time. Perhaps anonymous love letters would do the trick.

Quelling a smirk, Baki knocked on the door and mentally prepared himself.

* * *

"What's he saying?" 

"Give me a break, Temari. This isn't as easy as it looks!"

After some debate, they'd decided sending Karasu up to spy had the smallest chance of being caught. Pissing off Baki _and _Gaara at once wasn't something they wanted to risk, but on the downside, it took up most of Kankurou's concentration and they couldn't catch everything.

"It can't be _that_ hard to tweak a mini-camera and microphone remotely."

Kankurou decided not to tell her he hadn't used these much since the last Chuunin exam and was getting rusty—he'd never hear the end of it.

"_Often one initiates courtship with a gift—flowers and chocolate are most common, but gifts are by no means required. Dating is usually a means of finding love—"_

They both adjusted their earpieces and grinned. Results! Too bad they couldn't see the video until the conversation was over.

"Nice work, little brother."

"Shh, we'll miss the conversation."

"—_marriage or lifelong companionship. Some see it as more of a way to obtain sexual gratification, but such people usually settle down after a—"_

"Whoa, he's not pulling any punches!"

"Shh yourself, Kankurou!"

"Bah, he's just going on about how to date now, that's boring."

So they started playing cards as Baki explained the many types of love, dating and marriage customs, social stigmas associated with some relationships. (Both of them were glad they'd never have to bring up incest taboos, it'd be too weird.) Gaara sat silently through the talk of families, homosexuality, close friendships, and how fuzzy the borders between relationships could be.

When he did ask questions, they were a real killer. _"How do you recognize love? How can you receive it?"_

Neither Temari nor Kankurou would admit how much those questions touched them, and they didn't speak at all during the 10 minutes of Baki's slightly fumbling but honest explanation.

"_This correlates well with the information Haruno Sakura gave me."_

Temari and Kankurou looked at each other, dumbfounded.

"You don't know anything about this?"

"You don't either?"

"What the hell!"

"—_she kissed me. It was—"_

"WHAT?" shrieked Temari, forgetting they were supposed to be stealthy and making quite a few passerby jump. "I thought she was in love with Sasuke! What the _fuck _is she doing touching my little brother? She was only here a week ago!"

"Temari, calm down! I can't hear a thing over your screeching!"

She continued muttering something about interrogation techniques under her breath.

"_I'm…glad you brought that up, Gaara. It's time I explained the physical aspects of relationships."_

The next half hour was spent gleefully chortling at Baki's expense. Explaining sex was awkward but easy enough, until Gaara started asking _why _people did it. That sent his siblings rolling. Sadly, Baki only put up with it for so long after explaining endorphins and chemical responses didn't seem to work.

"_Kazekage-sama, I'm afraid some things will only be clear once you experience these emotions and situations. When the time comes, I'm sure it'll make much more sense to you."_

"Cop-out," muttered Kankurou.

"_Should you have any more questions, I'm sure your siblings would be _happy_ to answer your questions."_

Temari looked to Kankurou. "He knows we're listening."

"Damn it all, we're screwed. He'll never let us live this down."

Accepting their defeat, they did what any good shinobi would do—removed all traces and ran the hell away.

* * *

Several days later, Gaara _did_ approach them as they ate lunch. Temari used it as an opportunity to try to ferret out what had happened with Sakura, but Gaara proved resistant to her probing. 

Instead, he asked if she was dating Shikamaru, which nearly made her choke on her onigiri. "N-no, we aren't dating! We just…spend a lot of time together."

"That, Gaara, is called denial."

"It is _not!_"

Apparently, Gaara didn't care about such things. "Kankurou, are you dating anyone?"

"Nope. Haven't met somebody I want to just yet." _Though I've got a few ideas._

"How can you tell?"

_Awww shit._ "Well, if you want to spend time with somebody, maybe kiss them or something, that's a pretty good indication."

Thankfully, Temari saved him. "Is there somebody on your mind, Gaara?"

Gaara looked away. "I don't know."

"Well, Kankurou and I have been talking, and we have an idea of somebody you might try…If you're interested, that is."

_That_ caught his attention, so they went on to explain to Gaara why he should try dating Lee, of all people. They weren't sure how well they'd pitched it but it was worth a shot.

When he asked to go to Konoha a week later, Kankurou and Temari felt cautiously jubilant. The bizarre, big-browed taijutsu specialist was in for a surprise. Hopefully, he'd act as they predicted. But if he hurt Gaara's feelings, he'd be one _dead_ ninja, alliance or no.


	3. Confession

**Notes:** As much time I spent looking at language of flowers websites, I didn't bother checking to see what would grow in which climates. Oh well.

* * *

Lee stared at the purple and white flowers. Gaara had thrust them into his hands like he wasn't sure what to do with them and left, which was so very confusing. Nobody had ever given him flowers aside from when he was hospitalized, and then it'd been only one. He took the bouquet to Ino, since he'd heard kunoichi talk about flowers having meanings—perhaps they weren't quite what he suspected. As she talked, his jaw crept closer to the floor. 

"Let's see, we have cinnamon and almond tree, lilacs, hydrangeas, and hellebores. What a sweet bouquet! Good color harmony, too. The flowers ask forgiveness and hope you're willing to sincerely answer this person's first love."

"R-really? Those flowers say all that?" Lee wondered where the bottom of his stomach had gone.

"Yeah, whoever this was thought out their message well, and didn't skimp on going to many areas to get specific flowers. These come from a variety of climates." Ino's eyes were bright, attentive, and _very curious_. "Would you like to make a response bouquet?"

The taijutsu specialist's brain still had trouble functioning. "N-no thanks, not now. Maybe. Later? Good. Yes."

"Lee?"

Ino's voice seemed awfully saccharine. Part of him was still coherent enough to warn him about how dangerous that tone was. "Yes?"

"Be sure to tell me later who it is, alright?" Her smile turned downright predatory. "Because I _will _find out, sooner or later."

Lee thanked Ino and fled before she lost her patience and used her mind control jutsu on him. Girls could be so scary._ Why _did Konoha's biggest gossip have to work at the flower shop?

* * *

Lee looked at the tangled field of sweetbriar, clover, catchfly, and morning glories and wondered what they meant. Did _every _plant have a meaning? Well, he wasn't about to go back to Ino and ask, that might prove dangerous, but it was a nice distraction from the bouquet currently in a ceramic cup at his apartment. Funny how flowers could loom large in his mind when they weren't even nearby. 

Surely Ino had misinterpreted the flowers, because _Gaara _giving out flowers was weird, but to be asking about _love_? Impossible. It didn't take a genius to know Gaara had serious mental issues and Lee had no illusions of what people thought of him, especially his looks. The more he tried to be like his handsome sensei the worse the unkind comments became, which didn't make much sense at all.

He wasn't like Sasuke had been, a trail of admiring girls following him around. Quite the opposite, everyone seemed to want Lee to go away. He wasn't sure why, and it hurt a little but surely if he tried harder people would like him more. Neji had eventually worn down, Tenten was tolerant these days, and Naruto recognized his strength, so it was just a matter of time for the rest of the village. Too bad Sakura was taking such a very long time. She was a wonderful friend but he could never convince her to take that next step.

Lee flopped down onto the grass with a sigh and smacked himself in the head. Such thoughts were no good! He'd never get anywhere without a positive attitude! Concentrate on sunshine and butterflies, on the cool wind, on the color of the flowers and the shade of the trees! Was that Gaara hanging upside-down on a branch?

For a moment, Lee wasn't sure how to address him. "Gaara-kun" didn't seem quite right any more, since he was the newly appointed Kazekage. On the other hand, he was a year younger and -sama was too heavy a title. He was tempted to drop honorifics altogether, but that would be too familiar, and…oh, why did things have to be so complicated?

"Gaara-san! I didn't see you there," Lee waved his arms, smiling broadly. Being unsure about a bunch of flowers was no reason to be unfriendly. "Would you like to sit with me?"

The only reply was Gaara appearing beside him in a whirl of sand, staring blankly at Lee's gestures to take a seat beside him. He sat down about three feet away.

"It's nice to see you again," which was certainly true even if Lee felt confused right now.

Gaara stared at him as if he was sizing Lee up, gaze uncomfortably intense.

Lee began to fidget.

"It is." It was almost too quiet to hear.

He froze. Surely Gaara hadn't meant, had he really—? Lee was hearing things. Well, might as well cut to the chase.

"About those flowers…" Lee chewed his lip, unsure of how to proceed.

"The florist picked them for me. She'd said she knew which ones would be best." There was a pause, and Gaara's voice seemed _almost_ hesitant. "Did she choose well?"

Lee held back a sigh of relief. So Gaara didn't know what they meant! It was all one big misunderstanding.

"Yes, they're very nice, thank you." Even if it was weird to receive flowers from a guy, it never hurt to be polite. Sakura was always very polite when she refused his white daffodils and lotuses.

Gaara didn't follow up with a "you're welcome" or anything at all. He just sat and stared at the grass blowing and flowers bobbing in the wind. The long stretch of silence eventually compelled Lee to speak.

"I asked Ino-san what they meant. The flowers, I mean. She works at a flower shop. She said…" Lee couldn't help blushing. Talking about Love did that, even if it didn't involve Sakura. "She said they meant you were sorry about hurting me and that I was yourfirstloveandyouwantedtoknowifIlikedyouback?" Lee's words had become faster and higher pitched towards the end. Really, it was silly to so embarrassed by this, of _course _Gaara didn't—

"That's correct."

Maybe this was a genjutsu! That made sense; somebody was playing a joke on him! Surely he heard wrong, surely this wasn't happening. Gaara couldn't mean…

"I'm…not sure. But when I'm with you, it feels strange here," he put a hand on his chest. "I know that means something. I want to know what it is."

"You really think you might…" Lee couldn't finish the thought—it was too crazy. Saying it aloud would break some silent pact with reason and expectation.

The Kazekage said nothing, only stared at him with those strange, flat eyes, making Lee horribly uncomfortable and mildly embarrassed. He was used to being stared at, but this was different because it was so analytical.

"I can see why Sakura had trouble discussing this." It sounded strange to hear Gaara say her name, like it didn't belong. Lee hadn't realized Gaara had bothered to learn it…then the actual sentence filtered through, and the rest was lost to shock.

"You talked to Sakura-san about this?"

"Yes. I asked her to explain love, since she receives so much. She tried to demonstrate but that was insufficient."

"D-_demonstrate_?" Where had reality gone? He pinched himself, to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"She kissed me."

Lee sighed and tried to put his broken heart back together, tears streaming down his cheeks. Sweet Sakura had bestowed a kiss on Gaara before even accepting one of his gifts! Oh, cruel world! Lee slumped over, dejected.

"She doesn't love me. Or you." Gaara might as well have punched him in the gut. "But you say you still love her. Is love always idiotic?"

Despite the sting, he had to defend the most Noble of emotions! "They say it's blind, but I don't think it's dumb. Love doesn't stop if it isn't returned, although it's better when it is. Love doesn't demand anything, it's unconditional. That doesn't mean it's stupid, it's just loyal."

They sat in pensive silence for a while. Lee was surprised at how verbose the normally taciturn Sand ninja was being. Idly, the black-haired boy plucked a yellow wallflower and began pulling off petals. _He loves me, he loves me not. This is crazy._ The silence was full of things he couldn't say.

Together they watched late afternoon fade to twilight, and the fireflies started to come out. One landed on Gaara's sandal and began her buggy communication as he started talking again. Konoha's unusually warm weather meant spring and summer were especially long, but it was nearing the end.

"Love is hard to understand. It was easier when I thought I was loving myself and needed nothing more. Now I know bonds with other people are important, defending people is important." The words were too heavy. Gaara waited until the air cleared before he spoke again.

"I want to protect my village because it's my home. I want to protect Kankurou and Temari because they're my siblings. I want to protect Naruto because he's like me, he changed me. I want to protect you because I almost killed you."

Saving him from Orochimaru's lackey was one thing, but putting him up there with Naruto and his siblings? Shock didn't even _begin _to cover it. Sure, Gaara was a friend in Lee's book, but he hadn't expected reciprocation, they weren't _close_. Lee didn't have Naruto's magnetism and rough charm and he certainly hadn't beaten a personality change into anyone.

"I didn't want to see you hurt any more, but you were the first person who ever hurt me. You weren't afraid."

Really, that didn't make much sense at all._ Why me?_ It took the Konoha shinobi a moment to realize he'd spoken aloud.

"The Sand protected you from Kimimaro before I told it to. You were the first person it saved instead of killed," his voice dropped to a whisper. "It…knew I needed you."

Gaara had verbally punched him in the gut _again_, in an entirely different way. Lee wasn't sure why his heart was beating so fast, why he felt robbed of words. What could he say to _that,_ anyway? Just in case, Lee pinched himself one more time. Still not dreaming.

"I, um…wow," he winced at how horribly inadequate his words were.

He'd thought he'd pursue Sakura until the end of his days. Confessions of love, or the closest thing the former psychopath would ever get to one, were not something he was prepared for. It was strange and scary yet exciting in a way he couldn't hope to explain.

For several more minutes, they watched the fireflies. Gaara unconsciously shifted closer as the temperature dropped.

"My siblings seem to think we'd make a good match."

Kankurou and Temari not only approved, but _encouraged _Gaara's decision? He needed to sit down. He was already sitting down. _His siblings and _the Sand_ accept me?_

One very distinct thought crept into his mind. _If I hurt Gaara's feelings, they'll kill me_. Sand shinobi weren't known for their mercy—not as ruthless as Mist, but certainly not anyone to mess with. The redhead was still staring at him with a look Lee had trouble reading. It could almost be called scared, hopeful, hungry, or vulnerable, which would make more sense if they weren't all blended together and were on somebody else's face. It was as if he was braced for rejection.

Yet…turning Gaara down had never entered his mind. To have somebody reach out instead of Lee doggedly pursuing until they conceded was a total anomaly. Gaara _wanted_ to be with him. He was Gaara's first love—no, he was the person Gaara desired to discover love with, which might be even more important. Something precious and frightening and raw was before him, waiting.

Once, he thought he'd live to protect Sakura, who was pretty, sweet, and kind. She'd changed over the past year, and sometimes he wondered where the weak girl of the chuunin exam had gone. She was her own woman now, more beautiful, distant and strong. It was painfully obvious she was waiting for Naruto and Sasuke, and wouldn't give up on them. She was in love too, and love was enduring. She was supposed to be his One True Love, but she didn't want him like that. Was love still _true_ if it wasn't returned? He shouldn't be feeling this way, he should be more faithful to Sakura! But if she didn't want him, if Gaara _needed _him…

Lee could never refuse that hand tentatively stretching out—it might not extend ever again, to anyone else. He didn't even _want_ to, which felt unfair to Sakura, but right. Maybe it was selfish, to accept what was offered instead of waiting for what would never be, but Lee's gut told him something else. _This was the right decision_. Guy-sensei always said to follow his heart! Somebody _needed _him, and Sakura didn't any more. He might not feel quite the same way; he really didn't know what to think of it, but how could he say no? Love was more than need, it had to be, but the words keep echoing in his head.

Gaara's look was wild and expectant, as if he'd heard everything in Lee's head. There was a firefly in his hair blinking intermittently, which was charming, in a peculiar way.

"Gaara…" If he was going to do this, there was no need for honorifics. He'd put Sakura up on a pedestal, an angelic figure to be protected—that wouldn't work with Gaara, he didn't want or need any coddling. Round black eyes met pale blue-green. "It was a bit unexpected, but I'm honored that you chose me, and…" Inhale, exhale. _Listen to your heart._ "I accept." Lee broke into a Nice Guy pose, "Let's date!"

Slowly, the look of shock faded and the tiniest of smiles appeared on Gaara's face. Lee was the second person ever to witness one. After seeing it, he would never doubt or regret his decision. Gaara had smiled for him! He resolved to make it appear again—it was too beautiful not to share. The black-haired boy continued to grin like an idiot for a while.

"Now what?" asked Gaara, running a hand through his hair, dislodging the lightning bug.

Lee scooted over and leaned until their shoulders touched, hands brushed. It was…nice. He could get used to doing this all the time. "I'm not sure, but…we'll figure it out! Our Youthful Passion will guide us!" They had a _long_ way to go, but since they'd be together, it wouldn't be bad at all.

* * *

Yellow daffodils (what Sakura gave Lee in the hospital) mean hope and waiting  
White daffodils and lotuses mean pure, idealized, noble, romantic, sometimes platonic love  
Yellow wallflowers mean apprehensive, growing love 


	4. Rumors

Notes: More a series of connected drabbles than a chapter. Various pairings briefly implied. This covers a large span of time, I hope I made that clear. I'm not sure if this is the end or not, but if anything new comes up it'll appear in my LJ long before FFnet.

* * *

In a grave in Suna, the Fourth Kazekage's corpse was spinning. Karura's and Yashamaru's were making valiant efforts not to join in.

* * *

"Guy-sensei!"

"Oh, Lee!" He paused on his 238th push-up. "How is my beloved pupil doing today?"

"I must talk to you on a matter of utmost importance!" Lee's face was serious—it must be a heavy matter indeed.

Training could wait. Guy sat with his student in the shade of a tree. "What troubles you?"

Lee flailed. "Oh, it's not trouble. Well, not really. It's something else." He blushed. "I think I've found my Most Important Person, but it isn't who I thought it'd be. You see…Gaara and I are dating!" He was surprised at how hard it was to say that, even to his sensei.

Guy nodded sagely. "I see. You're concerned that choosing Gaara over Sakura makes your previous feelings less important or false, or that your current emotions are somehow wrong."

Lee nodded.

"Fear not, young man! For while Love is Pure, Selfless and Enduring, it is also Complex, Changing, and Limitless! Sometimes, it is hard to tell the many kinds of Love apart. Discovering your Love isn't as it first seemed, your feelings changing, or loving somebody new doesn't lessen the importance of that Love!" He posed, one finger high in the air, "Embrace the Flower of Youth with all your heart! PASSION!"

He continued for several minutes along these lines. Lee enthusiastically agreed with everything, even the bits that seemed contradictory, and came away feeling much better about his decision.

* * *

"Your response bouquet is to-to-to—"

"Gaara, like I said the last five times, Ino-san." Was it really _that _shocking? Gaara was their age, after all!

"What's wrong, Ino-pig? Mad that he got a boyfriend before you did?" Sakura interjected from the front of the shop. Lee's heart did a few somersaults, unsure how to react.

Ino was slow to recover her jaw from the floor. "Not at all! Besides, you're no better, Forehead-so-big-it's-a-_five_head girl!"

Sakura got up in Ino's face. "Pig!"

Ino didn't back down. "Fivehead!"

After several more rounds of this, Lee was afraid it'd come to blows. "Um…"

Just like that, they went from scary, looming harridans back to normal girls.

"I'm so happy for you, Lee-san," said Sakura with a smile that, for once, didn't seem sad. It had never occurred to him that she might feel guilty about not returning his feelings.

Lee grinned back, and realized he _did_ love Sakura—just not like he once thought. She was still precious to him, but more like a sister than a potential girlfriend. The small amount of remorse he'd been harboring about giving up his pursuit released its chokehold on his heart. She was happy for him, so everything had turned out ok! Though he'd have to talk to her some time about what she said to Gaara.

"Now, for flowers, you could try yellow nasturtiums or pink dahlias…"

* * *

Tenten boggled. Neji unleashed his stoic glare beam of doom (not to be confused with the byakugan.)

"What—?" began the Hyuuga, stopping because the rest of the sentence was beyond his grasp.

"—is the meaning of this?" finished Tenten with a much angrier tone and an accusing finger in their direction. "You're—you're—" She sputtered and died.

"Holding hands," finished Gaara, not understanding why everyone was having so much trouble completing sentences, or why saying that made the other three turn red. Redder, in Lee's case, as he was doing a passable impersonation of when he opened his Life gate. A vein near Neji's left eye twitched.

Once the girl recovered, she cut to the chase. "Explain _Now._"

"Well, you see, um…er, it kinda…" Lee was going to die of embarrassment, this very moment, and then he wouldn't have to explain a thing.

The ground failed to swallow him up. Maybe he could ask Gaara to—

Neji stared. Gaara stared. Tenten glared. Lee began to sweat under all this scrutiny.

Well, nothing else to do but meet this challenge head-on!

"Gaara and I have embraced the Passion of Youth and are dating!" declared Lee, raising his unoccupied hand high in a Fist of Triumph and giving his best smile. It was easier saying it this time. Love was a wonderful thing!

Neji caught Tenten as she fainted.

_Oops_.

* * *

What Lee didn't know is that many girls in his age group considered him their Last Resort. Should they ever be getting old and lack a meaningful relationship, they thought they could rely on the incredibly weird but sweet boy to remain single. They could convince him to love their respective selves, he'd be faithful, bizarre, and true until they tired of him and found a more handsome lover. _Nobody _had expected him to be one of the first to hook up. Then came the fact that he was with _Gaara_ (who was kind of hot if you got over the body count and insomnia,)so surely this meant the apocalypse was nigh!

The female population gave a collective sigh. Well, there was always Chouji…

* * *

"CHOUJI!" bellowed Ino.

He managed to hold back a whimper as she stormed up, lightning clouds in tow.

"You and I," she bit out, "are going on a date. _Now._"

"Why me?" This meant he needed to hurry up and finish his bag of chips.

Ino held up five fingers and ticked them off. "Temari would kill me if I ask Shikamaru, Kiba would laugh at me, Shino has _bugs_, Neji would just stare at me, Sakura is a lost cause, and Tenten is still in shock."

"Tenten? Sakura?" he muttered in confusion. He didn't know Ino was interested in girls.

"_Never mind_, you're coming with me." Since he didn't have a scarf to lug any more, she grabbed him by his long hair and stomped towards Ichiraku.

"Does this mean you're paying?"

Ino snarled, and Chouji decided it would be a good time to shut up.

* * *

"I heard Ino made you go out on a date," greeted a recumbent Shikamaru.

"She's mad Rock Lee is dating somebody before her," explained Chouji, feeling exhausted and very sick of overbearing blondes. She hadn't let him stay long enough to order his third after-dessert snack!

Shikamaru perked up a bit. "_Lee_? Who's he dating?"

"Gaara." The Akamichi didn't care too much about going out, so he didn't share everyone's shocked reaction. Ino had found this particularly infuriating.

"Hn. That's 16 months earlier than I expected. I thought he'd have a failed relationship with Sakura first. What a pain."

"You knew he'd want to date Gaara?" Shikamaru still surprised him with his mental abilities.

"More the other way around. Gaara went out of his way to try to kill and save him, after all."

"I suppose that makes sense." Munch munch chew swallow.

"This means Kiba owes me money," the chuunin added wryly.

The redhead wasn't sure how to reply to that, but it didn't surprise him that Shikamaru was betting on people's relationships. They sat in companionable silence for a while. As it'd been a while since he'd had time to just _be_ with his best friend, Chouji offered the greatest symbol of friendship he knew. "Want some of my chips?"

* * *

"I won."

"Really. And what have you won?" Since this didn't seem to be a challenge, Kakashi didn't bother putting away his book.

"One of my cute students is dating before any of yours, Eternal Rival." Guy posed dramatically. "It's my Victory! The Victory of Youth!"

He turned a page. "Hooo? Did Tenten ask one of the boys out?" He didn't pay much attention to the dating habits of that generation, but figured it was likely enough. Teammates spent a lot of time together, after all. His bunch of brats had been a royal pain and perfect example of inter-team romantic complications.

"No. Lee has…"

Guy was so big on dramatics.

"Lee has…"

_Get on with it already_.

"Lee has decided to date the Kazekage!"

…_Ok, the dramatics were justified _this_ time._ "Did Gaara…?" It felt impossible to finish that sentence.

"He was entranced by my adorable apprentice and asked him out. Lee graciously accepted, fulfilling the Promise of their Youth!" Guy pulled out a hankie to dry his manly tears as waves crashed in the background. "Oh! So Beautiful!"

After so much time near the insane jounin, he was utterly unaffected. "…Good for them."

In truth, Kakashi preferred Lee dating Gaara to Sakura, despite the diplomatic complications. First, it meant not having to deal with mini-Guy on a regular basis. Second, he was glad there would never be any pink-haired, round-eyed, large-foreheaded, big-browed freak-babies running around in the future. Third, the thought of Guy as a pseudo-grandfather was _terrifying_. The Copy Ninja shuddered and went back to reading, tuning out the rest of Guy's enthusiastic speech, wondering if the Hokage had heard the news yet.

* * *

Tsunade looked at him, then at Gaara, and sighed irritably. "I hate kids. You _instinctively_ know the _worst_ possible thing to do and feel _compelled_ to do it!"

Lee did a very good impression of a kicked puppy. Tsunade wondered if the expression was calculated. (Seeing as this was Rock Lee, probably not. _Bugger_.) She felt her anger crumble and decided it was a good thing he had no idea how weak she was to kids looking pathetic, or it'd become a problem.

Looking away, she growled, "I'll see how many missions I can give you in Sunagakure's direction, but don't get your hopes up. We're still short on manpower."

"Thank you very much!" exclaimed Lee, smiling bright enough to blind.

The Hokage grunted. "Just go, before I get cavities. _Try _to be discreet? And if you break up, don't turn it into a major diplomatic incident."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," he replied, giving Gaara's hand an affectionate squeeze. Luckily, it didn't crunch any bones. "If it does, I'll—I'll do 500 laps around Konoha on my fingertips! Though I don't think we'll break up, as Love is…"

Shizune gently shoved Lee out the door before his speech could get rolling.

When Gaara bowed politely as he left, Tsunade wondered if it was really so bad.

* * *

When Gaara left to go back to Sunagakure no Sato after a week, Lee's goodbye was long and very, very loud, full of manly tears and promises of eternal devotion and letters every week.

The Kazekage endured all this without expression, but whispered something in Lee's ear that made him blush and grin so wide it looked like his face would split. The Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha forgot he was in the middle of a street and hugged his boyfriend. The residents were used to tuning Lee out, but this was too much—several people fainted. Muttering apologies to the horrified onlookers, Lee hugged Gaara one last time and watched him go. Gaara's escort, Baki, managed to remain surprisingly calm through it all. Lee couldn't see the ANBU guards conversing in sign language in the shadows.

After that, Ino didn't bother spreading the news any more—the only people in Leaf who didn't know were deaf, blind, or on missions.

* * *

Lee was in the middle of training when he noticed he had company. "Shino-kun, Kiba-kun! Back from your mission already?"

"We were successful," said Shino from the depths of his hood.

Kiba's nostrils flared, eyes widening. "You smell like sand and old blood. So the rumors _are_ true!" He was never one to beat around the bush.

Lee rubbed the back of his neck. "Wow, that spread really fast." Oh wait, Ino knew. That explained it.

"Are you sure about this? I mean, he's…" Kiba's face was grim. The rain of blood was easy to remember—it still popped up in his nightmares.

"…Not like he used to be. He's changed a lot this past year, and it's not as if I'm holding a grudge. Besides, he apologized."

The Gaara of their first chuunin exam wouldn't have done _that._ "I'll trust your judgment, then." Kiba still thought Lee was absolutely insane, but if it made him happy, who was he to judge?

"Friendship and Love always triumph!" declared Lee with a thumbs-up.

_Endless optimism will be the end of him, if constantly going overboard doesn't get him first, _thought Kiba, always amazed that somebody as perkyas Lee managed to stay a ninja and mentally stable. The thoughts were too dark, so Kiba pushed them away with teasing.

"So, have you two gone all the way yet?"

The dog handler laughed as the taijutsu expert went through a variety of scandalized reactions.

Before Lee could settle on anger, Shino diffused the situation. "Don't give him such a hard time. We're both happy for you; it was merely unexpected." Lee thought it was odd to say something like that in monotone, but that was just the Aburame for you.

After catching up a bit, the Team 8 members left the green-clad boy to his training.

Kiba laughed wryly, shaking his head. Shino raised an eyebrow.

"I'm _never_ betting with Shikamaru again," Kiba swore as soon as they were out of Lee's earshot.

"He wins too much," agreed the bug boy, "You're running out of money."

"I wouldn't put money on grass being green after something like _this_ coming true."

"Lee and Gaara…it _is_ surprising."

* * *

Lee was out buying groceries, contemplating what to say in his first weekly letter to Gaara when he ran into Hinata _almost _literally. Some quick contortionist maneuvering kept his bags clear.

"Lee-kun…"

He fell in step beside her. "Hinata-san! It's good to see you. How've you been?" Lee smiled. Hinata was a nice girl but _painfully_ shy, so he didn't have a chance to talk to her very often. The only boys she seemed comfortable around were her teammates.

"I-I've been training with Neji for the upcoming chuunin exam." Hinata hadn't passed the second exam, and the one after that had been in Lightning Country—the Hokage wasn't about to send a Hyuuga into their midst after the _last_ fiasco.

"We should train together some time; Hokage-sama might team us up." They were the only genin left on each of their teams.

"Yeah…" She looked to the side and began fidgeting, a faint blush creeping to her cheeks. "I bet you're happy it's in Sunagakure this year."

He froze, mouth agape. It wasn't that she knew—she was related to Neji, after all—it was that he'd _totally forgotten _about where the upcoming exam was going to be. Proving his worth as a ninja _and _getting to see his boyfriend? What a dream! He couldn't possibly fail, because the Power of Love would sustain him! Smiling and blushing, he replied, "Yes! I'm really looking forward to it."

After a moment, she looked up and met his eyes. Her smile was fragile but sincere. "Congratulations, Lee-kun. You seem happier."

"This wasn't how I thought things would be, but…I _am _happy it turned out like this. I'm sure things will turn out well for you, too! We're in the Springtime of Youth after all!"

Lee launched into an encouraging speech that lasted until he'd walked her home. She smiled the whole time behind her sleeve.

* * *

"It worked!" exclaimed Temari, clapping her hands, hardly able to believe her eyes. She'd suspected, with the constant letters, but was never able to get confirmation out of Baki. The guards who'd been around when Lee's team had stopped by for a brief visit a month ago were also unusually tight-lipped. Asking Gaara directly would've been too awkward and probably just as unhelpful, and she'd been on missions almost non-stop.

"They're…holding hands." Kankurou sounded almost queasy. He'd been helping coordinate the chuunin exam and thus hadn't had the time to spy on his little brother.

Hands moved to hips. "Of _course_, couples _do_ that."

Kankurou looked at his sister beseechingly. "What have we done?"

"Huh? What's _your_ problem?" her posture became aggressive.

"Think about what dating means, Temari. Now think about Gaara. And that Leaf nutjob. _Doing stuff._"

She smacked her forehead hard enough to echo, and dragged her hand down her face. "That was a mental picture I _really_ didn't need, thanks. And it was _your _idea."

"Don't remind me."

They stared at the red and green blob in the distance for a few moments. They'd undergo extensive torture before admitting how pleased they were.

"…So when do you want to pull him aside to tell him what'll happen if he hurts Gaara's feelings?"

"In a few hours. I want to get creative for such a _special_ occasion." Both of them knew it wasn't necessary, but what was the fun in that? As they had in the past, they'd get whatever kicks they could out of their crazy little brother's actions. It was decidedly less morbid these days.

* * *

Lee began jumping up and down wildly. "I did it! I'm a chuunin! I passed, I passed I _passed!_ I caught up to everybody! Guy-sensei, I wish you were here!" He continued on this vein for a while, leaping around the arena in joy. Gaara started to say nothing had been finalized yet, but when Lee caught sight of him, he caused everybody in the stadium to have a collective heart attack.

He hugged Gaara, enthusiastically. When they stopped cringing and realized Lee _hadn't _turned into a streak on the wall, people began murmuring among themselves.

_What the fuck?  
_

* * *

One of the councilors approached Gaara at a meeting. "Kazekage-sama, about your, erm, _involvement_ with the Leaf chuunin…"

Gaara stared at him.

The man had the balls to continue, but Gaara's expression led the other members to think he was about to lose them. "It's _highly inappropriate _for the leader of a Hidden Village to _fraternize _with a foreign…"

The sand shifted in the gourd leaning against the wall. Gaara looked _displeased_. "You were saying?"

"…Nothing, Kazekage-sama."

It wasn't brought up again.

* * *

Sasuke glanced over the latest intelligence report on Wind country. "Is this accurate?"

Kabuto adjusted his glasses and replied in a tight voice, "Of course. Orochimaru-sama has no use for erroneous information."

He stared at the paper for a while. The Gaara he'd known wouldn't be foolish enough to become emotionally attached. The Lee he'd known was naively pursuing somebody who obviously didn't want him and wasn't worth his time. One had done something stupid, the other something smart, and Sasuke couldn't say which one had made the better decision.

Gaara and Lee…

_It's a good thing I got out of Konoha when I did. They're all insane, and it's _contagious

* * *

"What about Gaara?"

"He's the Kazekage," said Temari with a hint of pride.

"EEEEEEH? Really?"

"Yeah, for around year and a half now."

"He really showed me up; I've got to catch up to him!" Naruto was simply thrilled. Gaara had started out behind but he'd beat Naruto to his own dream.

"That's not all he's ahead of you on," added Shikamaru, "He's been dating Rock Lee for about a year."

Naruto ran into a pole while he was busy gibbering and sputtering.

Shikamaru and Temari smirked, but became temporarily deaf when Naruto recovered enough to shout at the top of his lungs "WHAT? FUZZYBROWS AND GAARA ARE—"

Two hands clapped over his mouth, one from each shinobi. "We _know_, Naruto. No need to shout."

"Sorry. Anyway, they're actually dating? I mean, really _really?_" Naruto's brow furrowed. "That's kinda weird to think about."

"You get used to it."

The blond boy grinned. "I'll have to congratulate Gaara when I see him next! I hope it's soon."


End file.
